ORIGIN

Family Style: 1961 Ford Econoline Camper Van

This 1961 Ford E-Series van is in very clean condition and features a crank-up top that we still can’t quite figure out. The interior and exterior both looks great, and a roof-mounted Frigi-King A/C unit tops it off! Find it here on eBay in Miami, Florida. Special thanks to BaT reader Chris P. for this submission!

I actually couldn’t remember so I looked up the old decal. When the column shifter was at rest, straight forward would be third and back towards you would be fourth. If you lifted the shifter up to the first detent, straight forward was first and back toward you was second. If you pulled the shifter all of the way up through the detent then straight forward was reverse. I say forward/towards you instead of up and down because the econoline steering column was more vertical than horizontal. This trans is said to be weak but I drove it daily for four to five years loaded and unloaded without any problems. It was in good shape though with low miles.

I had a ’64 in the same condition and can attest that with a few modifications to the interior that they can be lived in comfortably for a year. I still call it my first house that I owned outright. I drove it every day around Seattle and merged without any trouble. I had the stock 170cu motor and could do 70mph on the freeway and did so between here and Portland a lot and one trip from Borrego, CA back to WA. Mine had a Four on the tree which was stock but an option only for ’64 if I recall correctly. I think I owned mine for about four years from around 2001-2005. It certainly didn’t stop or handle like a BMW but could turn on a dime and park in the same spot as a Civic. My top did leak a little bit but not bad. The hook in the center of the sheet metal actually keeps the two half circle pieces from sagging into the van and over-extending their hinges and I would assume that it keeps vibration down on the sheet metal which I never had a problem with. The only part I haven’t seen explained in the comments is that the rear edge of the upper sheet metal had a fixed hinge point and the front edge had little wheels that rolled in a track as the sides were raised and lowered literally by hand, no crank. The rear edge of the top was fairly even with the cutout in the roof while the front edge overlapped the sheet metal above the driver and passenger when in the down position. A great van that I would love to have again some day.

Wow, Great commentary. I own this van till 10;30 PM…That is when the ebay auction ends. The top does not crank up, it simply pushes up manually in a second or two. I’ve had split window VW buses before and this is much easier to get fixed. Nothing like the in line 6. Anyway, keep up the comedy comments, they are great!

LOL, I learned to drive in one of these! (Normal econoline, not the camper).

It was my dad’s, had the three speed “3 on the tree” manual transmission.

I agree, it was a pretty sketchy ride. Power, shifting, handling, braking, etc. all kind of nonexistent – bad even by the low standards of the 70s.

I can easily imagine what this one is like to drive and am not surprised at all the the guy is looking to get rid of it so quickly. IMO, a much cooler car to just look at pictures of. Owning it is taking it a step too far!

I have no knowledge of or much interest in the camping aspect. But I drove one of these rigs as a delivery boy in my youth, and they are truly scary. Like a baby elephant on roller skates. No power or merging capability. Finding any gears with the column shift was a hit or miss proposition at best, and that van was new at the time.

This is cool but Westy’s interior is much better quality, I had a 71 with a Buick V6 and a Kennedy adapter kit, it sure hauled! Going up hwy. 26 from downtown Portland, the faces of those soccer moms/dads in their brand new Dodge caravans was priceless when I pulled away in that “patina” white Westy at 80+, up hill!

My brother-in-law’s family had one of these that they lived in during the summers for years in the late 60s-early 70s. All I have to say is with three sisters and both parents it must have been great preparation for submarine training…

It is called a Trav-l-wagon. My family had one new when I was 7. My sister slept on the cot that was suspended under the pop up, the dinette folded flat for a bed for my folks, and I was on a cot that fitted over and across the front seats! That van took us from Chicago to the west coast in style. Very rare to see one. It did not leak.

The top seems easy enough: The two sides are hinged, they both fold inwards. The roof section is flexible metal, that just fold flat, extending forwards and backwards. You can see the markings the exterior window frames made into the inner roof, and the little hooks that secures the flat top in the middle. The roof preumable has a rod in every end, with the tips gliding in a channel mounted on each side. This must possibly make quite the noise when driving at highway speed. Also, hard to understand how a roof panel that is essentially a piece sheet metal secured in every corner and somewhat in the middle can lie still, or not leak. Maybe there is some additional mechanism that secures it along the sides when folded down.

I hope someone can explain exactly how that top works. I’ve looked at the pictures and still can’t figure it out. The picture of the magazine ad in the eBay listing says the top can be raised in “2 seconds”, so it can’t be too complicated – right?

I like these “Falcon-based” Econolines, but for a (slightly?) better driving experience I’d rather own the model that came after this one. A drove a few of these, admittedly VERY worn out, in the early ’70s. To say they are kind of hairy at their not so high limits is an understatement. Still, if only for their novelty value (plus, it can be serviced nearly anywhere), I’d rather own this than a VW Westfalian conversion.

i have owned some special vintage 60’s westfalias, and i stepped *up* to a twin of this rig in original tan paint a few years back. that top only pops up when you camp, it is totally flat while driving….and when you raise the roof it is the most amazing feat of engineering. happy motoring (and camping, fishing & showing) to the new owner!